Pickup trucks are extremely popular amongst consumers because of their versatility of use. In addition to satisfying basic transportation needs, pickup trucks also provide ample cargo space for transporting almost any type of materials. Some pickup truck owners, irrespective of whether or not they employ form-fitting liners to overlay and protect the cargo bed interiors, leave their truck cargo beds exposed. As a result, tools or materials placed and carried within the cargo bed are thereby accessible to a person by reaching over the vehicle sides, or by reaching in from the rear by the tailgate. On the other hand, many truck owners desire to store tools or materials in the cargo bed for extended periods of time or even permanently. To protect these stored materials from the damaging effects of the elements or from theft, a camper shell, or topper, can be mounted over the cargo bed to form an enclosed compartment.
While protective of the cargo bed contents, utilization of a camper shell to cover a cargo bed is not without its shortcomings for the user. For instance, greatly inconvenienced accessibility to the cargo bed contents is a significant deficiency of such configurations. The task of retrieving an item located in the forward regions of the cargo bed, or alternatively an item stored in a tool box or container situated along the side or forward walls of the cargo bed, becomes problematic as a person must normally enter the compartment from the tailgate entrance and crawl on her knees across the hard cargo bed floor. Persons who have performed this task can attest firsthand to the pain and discomfort it produces. To some extent, similar problems and discomfort can also occur in accessing cargo in vehicles such as vans, station wagons and other utility vehicles.
Another shortcoming pertains to the need to properly protect the interior of the cargo bed from damage caused by loading and movements of transported articles. Frequently, cargo beds equipped with camper shells do not also have overlaying form-fitting liners. This fact may result in part because an owner feels the camper shell reduces the need for a form-fitting liner as weather related damage to the cargo bed is ceased, or because the cost of providing this additional apparatus to protect the bed is extravagant in view of the infrequency of the transport of materials which are potentially damaging. Nevertheless, occasions do arise when a liner would be appropriate, and a conveniently located and operable temporary. liner would be beneficial for such owners.
Several vehicle inserts in the prior art have attempted to solve the problem of hard cargo bed floors. U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,149 discloses a specially designed pad for a vehicle having a flat bed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,670 similarly discloses an assembly for lining a vehicle bed with a pad. More rudimentary solutions involve merely placement of a rug or mat on the cargo bed floor. While such constructions allow a person to more easily move about the cargo bed without discomfort, they fail to account for a variety of situations likely to be encountered by a pickup truck user. For instance, on occasions when heavy abrasive or sharp edged materials are to be transported in the cargo bed, these inserts provide no protection to the sides of the vehicle cargo bed. In addition, it is not uncommon for persons owning pickup trucks to cart around soiled or dirty equipment, repair parts, batteries, dirt or other farm items. When such articles are transported, the cargo bed pads or mats also become soiled unless removed prior to usage. Upon being soiled, the usefulness of the pads are diminished as a person is much less likely to want to crawl across a pad, even if discomfort is lessened, as then the person may also become soiled. The best remedy for this shortcoming is entirely removing the pad prior to transporting the dirty cargo. However, because the pad portion must then be temporarily stored without the vehicle, after transport the person must backtrack and collect the pad. Moreover, because the dirty materials probably soiled the cargo bed floor, unless a person climbs into the cargo bed and cleans the floor prior to the replacement of the padded portions, these pads will also eventually become soiled.
Vehicles such as vans, station wagons, and other utility vehicles often have less need for pads or mats as the cargo bed floors may be carpeted. However, transporting dirty materials within these cargo beds can be problematic in view of the fact that these same carpets may become soiled. Temporary or removable cargo bed liners are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,110,171 as well as U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,862. While addressing the need for temporary protective liners for the cargo area, these devices do not necessarily readily blend in with the decor of the vehicle. Moreover, the devices do not provide a cushioned surface to facilitate an operator moving across them when the devices are not in the materials transport position.
An additional reference which describes a padded cargo bed floor is U.S. Pat. No. 4,186,845, which discloses a container liner which covers the floor of the container with a foam like material underneath a cover sheet. While side panels of the liner protect the sides of the cargo bed interior from materials transported therein, these non-rigid panels require securement to the side walls with, for example, staples. This type of securement would greatly damage a pickup truck or other vehicle interior. Furthermore, this liner, as well as many other prior liners, can not be partially removed from a vehicle and ramped to the ground to assist in the unloading and loading of materials.